Alex suddenly looked nervously around and behind.
Chaz said, "I wouldn't worry, Alex, the security surveillance for this level seems to be having a glitch this evening. I heard some of their network hardware fried a few circuit boards. Not sure how that could have happened." Chaz held both hands palms up in the air, and smirked.
Alex smiled back, and seemed noticeably relieved. They continued making their way down several corridors, walking past several labs. They passed few researchers on this level. Those they did walk past gave surprised looks to the two military men, but never interrupted them. Even the science staff seemed to have some respect for authority. One researcher attempted to stop Judith with questions, but Chaz coaxed him on his way.
Finally, they came to the central lab of the facility. They could see Christa in her sleeping quarters, resting, with headphones on. Her back was turned to the two researchers in the outer lab. Chaz stopped them all before they got any closer, and turned to Judith.
"Alright, Doc, here's what you're going to do. We're going to go and talk briefly to the two lab rats. You're going to ask them for a brief update. I emphasize brief. If they start rambling like you science geeks always do, you need to cut them off. Then, I want you to send them away. I don't care why, I don't care how. You need to give them something reasonable to do somewhere else." Chaz turned to Alex. "Alex, you hang back, but stay within hearing distance. If the doctor here does anything stupid, or things go wrong, I need you ready."
"Yes, sir, no problem."
"Let's go, Doc."
Chaz and Judith approached the two researchers, who were poring over some notes and checking monitors. Judith interrupted. "Mark, I need a report on the subject for the last few hours."
Both researchers turned to Chaz and Judith. They looked oddly at Chaz and then at Alex behind them. Mark replied, "Who are these two?"
Speaking sternly, Judith replied, "Don't worry about them, I need to know what's been going on with the girl over the last few hours."
Mark shook his head. "Alright. Not too much has changed since you were last here. She's been mostly resting in her bedroom. She started watching some teen romance movie again, but didn't finish it. Her vital stat scans haven't changed. Her blood pressure went up when she was watching the movie, but nothing unusual."
"OK, that's good. Things are stabilizing. I'm going to take over here for a while. Parker was having problems with results from the latest mutation-factoring tests. The two of you should head back there and help him out."
Mark and his assistant looked suspiciously back and forth between Judith, Alex, and Chaz. "Are you sure, Judith? Parker's usually pretty good with those tests. I'm sure he'll figure it out."
More firmly, Judith spoke again. "Just do what I ask … now go."
Reunited
Mark and his assistant left the lab; Mark looked back over his shoulder at Judith. Alex kept an eye on both of them down the hallway until they disappeared out of sight.
Chaz looked to Judith. "We're taking her out of here, and you're going to help."
"The hell I am, this is insane. You wanted to see her, so you've seen her. If you really want her to see you, we can do that, but I don't recommend it. She's not what you think." Judith stepped towards Chaz. "There's no way I can let you take her out of here. You're putting everyone's lives at risk. Damn it, you're putting the entire planet at risk!"
"Doctor, I already told you, we're taking her out of here, and I don't need you alive to accomplish that. You have no control here. This is my show. We're taking her."
As they were talking, Christa removed her headphones, got up, and started pacing the room. For the first time in days, Alex and Chaz got a good look at the little girl who had nearly died in a bus full of exploding zombies. The same girl who had saved them from dying on a bridge full of pigs. She couldn't see them from behind the one-way glass, but they could see her. And she had changed. She was no longer the little girl they remembered. Her body was still the same size, and she moved like a little girl, but her face looked different. It looked older. There were dark rings under her eyes, and the beginnings of crow's feet. Her skin had lost its youthful elasticity, and her hands looked weathered. She still looked like Christa, but had the facial appearance of a thirty-year-old.
Alex stepped up and grabbed Dr. Montgomery from behind, turning her around. "What the hell have you done to her? It's been two days since we've seen her, and she looks twenty years older. You're killing her, for Christ's sake! How can you do that to a little kid, you sick bastards."
Chaz walked closer to the windows to have a look. Judith shook herself loose from Alex's grip. "I assure you, we've done nothing that wouldn't have happened eventually. She's mutating. It's what they do. We may have sped the process up, but that's all we did. The sooner she finishes mutating, the sooner we start formulating a solution. The sooner we can start saving lives."
Alex pushed Judith to the side and walked up to the windows with Chaz. "These assholes have to pay, Chaz. Look what they did to her. It's not right."
"Alex, don't forget why we're here. We're gonna have our hands full getting all three of us out in one piece. Don't expect more than that."
"I don't know, Chaz. I don't know if it's ..."
"It's enough, Alex. It's enough for now. Let's get through this. Alright? I need you to stay on task." Chaz stared directly at Alex.
Alex nodded his head yes. "I'll do it. For Christa, I'll do it."
Chaz turned to Judith. "Let her out. Get her out of that cage."
Judith hesitated. Chaz didn't. He walked directly up to her, stuck the muzzle of his gun in her mouth and pulled the safety off.
"You heard me, right? You understood, right?"
Judith's eyes were wide open, and she nodded her head up and down.
Chaz pulled out the gun, and Judith walked to a keyboard. With shaking hands, she entered an access code and her password. A few more keystrokes and the door at the center of Christa's quarters clicked open. Christa reacted by running to the furthest corner of her bedroom from the open door. She dropped to the floor, pulled her legs in tight, wrapping her arms around them, and buried her head in her knees.
Chaz looked to Alex. "You should go in and get her. She'll feel more comfortable if it's you."
Alex nodded and walked through the door.
Chaz could see Christa start shaking as soon as she heard Alex's footsteps. She couldn't yet see who was coming.
Chaz turned to Judith. "You better hope I'm in a better mood when we're done with you."
He grabbed her firmly by the arm and kept her close. Judith didn't say a word.
Chaz turned back to watch Christa. Alex moved through the living quarters and into Christa's bedroom. As he got there, she wasn't just shaking, she was crying as well. Chaz couldn't tell if they were tears of joy, or tears of fear. Alex walked across the room, and Christa got to her feet. She wiped her fingers across her eyes to dry her tears. With crossed arms, she met Alex halfway. Clouds of confusion shaded her eyes, but only for a moment. Only till her mind believed what her eyes were seeing. She opened her arms, and flung them around Alex's neck as he went down on one knee.
Watching the two of them, Judith shook her head. "I really don't understand this sentimental attraction you two have for it." Chaz turned to look at Judith, clenched his fist and weakly punched her in the face.
"I've done a lot of horrible shit in my years," Chaz growled, "but never ever have I struck a woman. Congratulations, you've brought me to a new low."
Judith wiped at the blood dribbling from her nose over her mouth. Holding out her bloody hand for Chaz to see, she said, "This is just a fraction of the blood you're about to spill if you take her out of here."
Chaz remained silent.
Christa finally released her grip on Alex, and looked directly into his eyes.
"I thought you were dead. I was sure of it. I remember trying to keep them away. Some of them helped, but the others just kept coming. I eve
n tried fighting with your knife, but I couldn't stop them all. And then you disappeared. I couldn't see you, and they swarmed you. I don't remember anything else after that. I thought I was going to die too. I don't even know how I got here. And Chaz, is he dead? Is that tough old bastard finally dead?"
Alex cracked a big smile. "No, that tough old bastard is still alive. He's waiting for us. He didn't want to frighten you with that ugly old face of his." Alex beamed. "Are you ready to go?"
Christa just smiled from ear to ear and shook her head adamantly up and down.
Escape Gone Bad
Alex led Christa out of her living quarters and into the surrounding labs. Chaz stood outside, waiting, with Dr. Montgomery behind him. Chaz and Christa exchanged smiles.
"Nice to see you, ya grumpy old bastard." Christa grinned from ear to ear.
"Hello, Christa, it's nice to see you too." Chaz did his best to hide his concern for the changes so visible in Christa.
As Alex walked past Chaz, he asked Judith, "What happened to your face, Doc?" He looked back and forth between Chaz and Judith.
Chaz replied, "I learned something new about myself. Seems it's possible to annoy me enough to hit a woman. Guess I still have some hidden monsters."
Alex stifled a grin. "Yeah, I know exactly what you’re talking about."
Wiping the blood still coming from the corner of her mouth, Judith replied, "You fools think you know about monsters, but you have no idea what you're doing. Do you really think she's just a kid? She's a bigger monster than any from your nightmares. You're making a huge mistake here."
Alex moved toe to toe with Judith. "Lady, you think you know anything about monsters, hiding safe and sound in your labs behind test tubes and computers? You ever killed one with your bare hands? Have you ever pushed a blade through an orifice so far your fingers ended up inside it? Ever had their rotten, decaying breath so close you could taste it?" Alex's chest heaved, then he turned and walked away.
Judith held back for a second, then said, "Just because I'm not covered in rotting flesh, doesn't mean they don't keep me awake at night. It doesn't mean I don't have nightmares over these things. I know. I know exactly what they're capable of. I may not be in the trenches covered in muck and guts, but there's still blood on my hands. Don't think you're the only one that makes sacrifices here. We all do."
Chaz interrupted. "Alright, if you two are done with your little chit chat, we have more work to do. We need to get out of here, and there’s a whole mess of soldiers between here and the front door that will do their damnedest to stop us."
Judith replied, "Even if you get out the front door, those things outside will rip you to pieces." Looking at Christa, she continued, "If you think she's going to help you, you’re more naive than I thought. She's not the girl she used to be. She may act the same, but she has more on the inside then she has on the outside. She's not your golden ticket anymore."
Chaz grabbed Judith by the shoulders and pushed her towards the front door. "Get that blood wiped off your mouth. You and I are taking the lead all the way to the front door."
Alex and Christa followed out of the lab and down the hall. Christa remained uncharacteristically quiet heading down the hallways past researchers returning from the cafeteria. There were plenty of odd glances directed at the odd group of Judith, Chaz, Alex and Christa. Only one researcher tried talking with Judith, but Chaz just waved them off, saying she was too busy. None of the suspicious researchers were inclined to interfere with armed soldiers. One of them, however, did pick up a phone and make a call to General Chambers.
The ride up the elevator was quiet until Christa finally spoke up. "She's not totally wrong about me. I know I've changed, I've seen myself in the mirror. I look all grown up on the outside now, I know that. I don't know why or how, but they had something to do with it." She looked at Judith. "They didn't treat me horribly, but they weren't bubbling with kindness either. I was just another piece of lab equipment. I know I'm different, but I don't understand how."
Alex looked down at her. "It's alright, Christa. People change all the time, but it doesn't change who they are. A big part of you is still the same." He looked to Chaz. "Right, Colonel? She's still her." He spoke reassuringly.
Chaz looked at Judith, who was shaking her head with pursed lips. "Christa, you're still you. No matter what those bastards did. There are parts of us inside that even they can't mess with. You are who you are from cradle to grave. There's nothing anyone can do to change that."
The elevator beeped on reaching the ground floor. Before the doors opened, Chaz and Alex readied their weapons. They pulled Christa behind them, and pushed Judith out front. As the doors slid open to an empty hallway, Judith walked out first with Alex holding the doors open.
"Hold that door," Chaz said. "I'm going to find something to jam it, and block their path."
Chaz entered an unlocked janitor's closet. Alex held the door, and kept an eye on Judith moving down the hallway. "Don't go far, Doc. We're not quite ready to let you go yet. Maybe we'll take you outside and give you a chance to face some of your nightmares in person. Who knows, we may just cure your insomnia."
"Stay close, Christa, we're not sure what's behind the next corner. Some of the lab rats down there didn't look too comfortable with us just walking out with you."
Christa came back to the elevator as Chaz came out of the closet pushing a crate of cleaning supplies. Christa helped him push it down the hall, and they placed it between the elevator doors. The four of them quietly made their way down the hall to the next corner as the elevator beeped, insisting it be allowed to move.
The next hallway looked clear. There were several doors to vaults and offices, but no one emerged as they made their way past. Chaz led them through one of the too-quiet back corridors. It was tight moving down the corridor. There wouldn't be much room for maneuvering if they came across patrols.
"It's only two more turns, then we're into the main corridor that leads to the front lobby," Chaz whispered.
Halfway down the next hall, the sergeant came around the next corner with his weapon ready. More soldiers took position behind him. The sergeant called out, "That's far enough, Colonel. We can't let you leave with the girl. Just send her down here and nobody has to do anything crazy."
Chaz looked back to Christa and saw her huddled next to Alex. Chaz pulled Dr. Montgomery to the front of their group, and the rest fell in line single-file behind her. As they backed up from where they had just come, two more soldiers leaned around the corners behind them. They raised their weapons at the group.
The sergeant spoke again. "C'mon, Colonel. We've got you from both ends. There's no way for you to get out of here with the girl. Let the doctor and the girl go. Then you and Alex can walk unharmed out the front door."
Chaz replied, "We'll give you the doctor just before we head out the front door. That's the best we can do. The girl stays with us. She came with us, and she leaves with us."
Chaz began pushing the doctor towards the sergeant. Christa followed directly behind Chaz, with Alex in tow. The narrowness of the hallway didn't give the soldiers at either end much of an angle to shoot from. The corridor didn't help Chaz much either. There was one door along the hall between the group and the sergeant.
"Get the general down here. I'd rather be talking with him than some subordinate." Chaz stalled as they moved closer to the door.
"That's not going to help your case any, Colonel," the sergeant replied. "The general has eyes everywhere. He knows exactly what's going on." The sergeant put a finger to his earpiece. "Letting you and Alex out of here in one piece is your best bet. I suggest you take him up on his offer."
As Chaz got closer, he took a quick step towards the door and turned the handle. It was locked.
"C'mon, Colonel, that's not a way out. There's nothing behind that door that can help. You're just trapping yourself."
Chaz stepped back from the door and yelled, "Stand back!"
Alex pull
ed Christa behind him as Chaz fired two shots into the door lock. The guards behind the sergeant returned fire down the hall, narrowly missing Chaz. Chaz leaned back and kicked the door open, shattering what was left of the lock. The four quickly ducked inside, closing the door.
The room was dark, but Chaz found the light switch and illuminated the room. It was a small waiting room, with half a dozen chairs around the walls, a coffee table in the center and magazine tables in the corners. The ventilation duct in the ceiling was much too small for any of them to crawl through.
They paced back and forth for a second before Alex spoke. "We can't stay here, Chaz. We're just delaying the inevitable. The only way out is through that hallway. We have to fight our way out."
"Yes, I know, I just needed some space and time to think. At least we can use the room to protect Christa and keep her out of the line of fire. There are some things we can use here. And, of course, the doctor. Just give me a minute and I'll figure something out."
Chaz pulled the door open and looked quickly up and down the hall. The soldiers were both still in position, but the sergeant was nowhere in sight.
"It looks like they're content to just wait us out. They haven't moved, but they haven't left either. We've got what they want, but they don't have an easy way to come and get it. Maybe we should give them one. We could draw them out by letting them think they have Christa. Get them to come out of cover and pick them off."
Alex shook his head. "I don't like it. It's too risky. Look what they've done to her already. I'm not convinced they care about her wellbeing. The doctor would be better bait."
Mutation: Parables From The Apocalypse - Dystopian Fiction Page 10